The World of James Herriot

Website

E-mail

Telephone

01845 524 234

Fax

01845525333

All information is drawn from or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

The World of James Herriot is a unique tribute to vet and author James Herriot. Based in his original surgery at 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire - the 'Skeldale House' of the Herriot books - it takes visitors on a journey back to the 1940s.

When James Herriot died in 1995, Hambleton District Council bought the old surgery and set about painstakingly restoring it. The £1.4 million project includes recreated living quarters and sets from the TV series 'All Creatures Great and Small'. The orginal Austin 7 car used in the series sits in the cottage garden and there is an exclusive documentary to watch.An interactive gallery has been developed for children to experience science games with a veterinary twist. It sits alongside displays of artefacts from the veterinary world past and present.

Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.

Face to face resources

Animals & Us (Key Stage 1 & 2)

We will explore and identify a range of animals including farm animals, wild animals and pets. We will discuss the needs of these animals and explore their growth from baby to adult. Focusing on pet care, we will look at the responsibilities we have in ensuring the welfare of animals, as well as discovering the roles that vets and local animal welfare organisations play.

Being James Herriot (Key Stage 2)

Explore the World of James Herriot and discover what inspired Author Alf Wight, to write his stories. Students will be asked to collect factual information from the museum and look at experiences from their own lives to gather story elements, including setting, characters, and events, to help them build a story. This fun interactive session involves students in creative writing and turns their own experiences into thrilling stories.

Curators Wanted! (Key Stage 4 and beyond)

Students work as curators and select a theme relating to the museum, objects from our collection and design interpretation panels. We will have a discussion aboutinterpretation and communicating ideas to visitors and how to put information into texts. This workshop runs for 2.5 hours

Home Front - the civilian war effort

An introduction to some of the things people would have experienced on the home front during the Second World War

Publisher

This resource was produced as part of the MLA-funded My Learning project.

Face to face resources

Home Sweet Home (Key Stage 1 and 2)

Visit the 1940s Skeldale House and travel back in time. Pupils can handle objects from the part and see how children's home life has changed as we compare past and modern times. We will take a look at sitting room, kitchen and toys.

Leisure and Tourism (Key Stage 4 and beyond)

This interactive session uses common marketing tools in order to identify the museum’s marketing strategy. Pre- and post visit packs complete this hands-on session. Students design a brochure and an advertisement and give a short presentation at the end. The workshop runs for 2.5 hours and functions as a case study. Maximum of 25 students per session.

My Family: My Story

A digital storytelling project that introduces families to museum collections and the way that objects can be used to create stories.

Publisher

This resource was produced as part of the MLA-funded My Learning project.

Boxes, objects and other kit

Outreach and Loan Boxes (various Key Stages, public talks)

Please ask about our outreach program, as most of our workshops can be delivered as outreach sessions and talks. We currently develop a Loan Box service. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

Creator

Elisabeth Salmen

Audience Development Officer

How to obtain

Telling Stories through Objects (Key Stage 2 and 3)

Every object has a story to tell, as pupils soon discover. Pupils are given the opportunity to explore artefact from the collection as they work imaginatively to unearth the stories waiting to be told.

Wartime Britain (Key Stage 2)

In this session, pupils will be able to explore our replica air raid shelter and experience what life was really like for children growing up in World War II. An interactive workshop which allows the group to explore sounds and handle items from this period in history. Discover what it was like to be an evacuee and the effects rationing had on their lives. 2 hour session including an hour facilitated workshop and an hour self led tour of the centre